An Accidental Destiny
by MamaJMarie
Summary: Originally a side-story to FuzzyDeath's Rewritten, has since mutated into it's own full-blown story. Explains Dani, and her massive crush on Spock. M for future chapters
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is a side story to _Rewritten_, by FuzzyDeath. Dani is a minor character in it, and this is her story.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything recognizable. I do claim Dani and Tanya, but that's it.

An Accidental Destiny

Danica Delavert was always an odd child. She was part Cherokee in a Midwestern town that even in 2239 was very much a racist town. She would stick up for anyone who was being picked on. That was how she met her best friend, Tanya Gillespie, and the little boy who would haunt her thoughts from that day on.

It was the hottest day of the year, and all the kids in the small, Midwestern town were outside. Most of the kids were playing a rousing game of kickball, but there were a few stragglers. Dani and Tanya were sitting together, playing a pair of handheld video games. And one little boy was sitting off to the side on a swing. He was just far enough away that his grandparents were satisfied that he was trying to socialize, but not so close to the other kids as to draw attention to himself. It was only when one looked closely that you could see that the little boy was not completely human, that his ears curved upward into graceful points.

Suddenly, the ball from the kickball game got kicked a little too hard and flew off the field. It landed beside the swing set where the little boy with the pointed ears sat. The largest boy walked over to the edge of the outfield and hollered at the other boy, "Hey, freak, kick the ball back!"

The little boy didn't respond immediately, but slowly stood up. He turned to face the children who were starting to cluster around their de-facto leader. "It would be illogical to kick the ball back, considering that you will just kick it over here again if I do."

This brought the leader over to shove the smaller boy. "What the hell does _logic_ have to do with anything?" he yelled, pushing the boy back.

This brought a cheer from the other kids, feeding their instinctive love of violence that all kids seem to feel. They circled the two boys, the chant beginning, "Fight, fight, fight…"

The noise attracted the attention of every kid in the park, including Dani and Tanya. Dani was on her feet in moments, dropping her game into the hands she knew would be there to catch it. Tanya was more of the mind to stay out of other people's business, while Dani was ready to leap to the defense. She shoved her way through the crowd, her black braid swinging behind her. By the time she got through, the larger boy had already thrown a punch that knocked the smaller boy to the ground. There was a trickle of emerald green blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Billy Puskman, what are you griping about? You leave him alone!" she yelled, a tiny ball of fury. She pushed her way between the two boys, her back to the smaller boy. "If you don't leave him alone, I'm going to kick your lard-butt all the way back to your mama."

"Prove it, 'breed," he said, pushing the little girl now. He managed to shove her back almost six inches, considering that he was almost twice her size. "You're just as worthless as this green-blooded freak."

Dani responded by kicking the much-larger Billy between the legs, which doubled him over. Then she hit him in the face. "Now you leave him alone, or I'm gonna tell your dad that you got beat up by a girl. Then you'll get your butt whupped every day until school starts again."

"Whatever, 'breed. You're as much a freak as he is," Billy spat as he stood up, holding his gut. The crowd followed their leader back to the kickball field, one boy grabbing the ball and sticking his tongue out at both Dani and the little boy.

Tanya walked over to join them now, as Dani offered her hand to the fallen boy. "Billy being a turkey again?" the light-brown haired girl asked.

"No more than he always is. Are you ok?" she asked the boy as she helped him to his feet.

He seemed to regain his sense of self as he wiped the blood from his lip. "I am not injured beyond the busted lip," he said, sounding oddly formal for an eight-year-old child in the middle of summer.

"I'm Dani, and this is Tanya," she said, motioning to her friend. "What's your name?"

He looked slightly confused at her name. "My name is Spock. I was under the impression that Daniel was a male name?"

She laughed, a clear bell-like sound. "Dani as in Danica, not Daniel." She looked past him, spotting his grandparents talking with another couple in the shade of the pavilion at the center of the park. "Are you staying with your grandparents long? And if you are, would you like to come play with us again?"

He still held himself in an almost rigid posture. "My parents are coming to get me in the next few days, so that would not be logical."

It didn't seem to faze Dani at all. "Are you going to come visit them again at Christmas, or next summer? Maybe we could be penpals."

"I do not believe that I will be back for the Earth holidays, nor do I believe that I will be required to return in the near future." While he still seemed cold, it didn't seem to really affect Dani. "Thank you for your assistance," he inclined his head towards her, then walked back over to his grandparents.

Once he was out of earshot, Dani turned to Tanya and whispered, "I think he might be the guy I want to marry when I grow up"

She saw him one more time before he left, at the fireworks celebration for the Fourth of July. The church his grandfather was pastor of held a community celebration every year, and this year was no exception. The whole town turned out for it, and the Reverend and his wife were joined by their grandson from…out of town.

Tanya and Dani were off by themselves, talking as young girls do. "So, Dani, who'd you see with the mirror?" Tanya asked in a whisper. The night before, she had dared Dani to put a mirror under her pillow. The superstition was that it would make her dream of the man she would marry when she was grown. Dani blushed and shook her head. "Is he here?" Tanya pressed. Dani nodded, still blushing. "Then I dare you to go kiss him," Tanya whispered. She knew that her best friend couldn't resist a dare.

Dani screwed her courage up, and looked her friend in the eye. "OK," she said as she walked off towards the edge of the park. There, a single, small boy sat, wondering why people were illogically setting off explosives in the park. She walked up and planted one, right on his mouth, just as he started to ask why she was over there.

He put his hand on her face, trying to push her away. Instead, he got flashes of her entire life going through his head. He saw that bully, Billy Puskman, picking on her frequently, until she beat him up in the first grade. He saw her mother, a proud-looking woman with raven hair and light copper skin. He saw her father, a local, and the accident that had killed them both. Her grandparents who were raising her flashed past him, and that Tanya was her only friend. He even saw the dream she'd had the night before, of the two of them as adults on a starship, their children around them.

When he was finally able to pull his hand away, they both acted like they'd been strapped to one of the bottle-rockets that were being fired. Their faces were both flushed; hers pink and his tinged green. He recovered his voice first. "I'm sorry," he whispered, then took off for his grandparents' house.

As she walked back to Tanya, Dani murmured into the night, "You don't have anything to be sorry about, Spock."

She didn't really see him again for several years. She had seen some pictures when she ran into his grandparents, Reverend and Mrs. Grayson, at the church. They were thrilled when he joined Starfleet instead of the Vulcan Science Academy. When they told her that, Dani talked Tanya into signing up with her, and as soon as the girls graduated, they were both bound for the Academy installation in Iowa.

She caught a glimpse of him, briefly, in the hallway. Only now, instead of the unsure little boy, he was Professor Spock and very sure of himself. Despite the shyness that had gripped her in high school, she felt like she needed to say hello. She started to go and talk to him when another cadet walked up to him. Dani hid in the doorway and watched as the cadet boldly cupped his face with her hand, and guided his face down for a kiss.

It felt like her heart was going to break. That night, she bought a bottle of auburn dye, and colored her hair. Tanya brought the chocolates, the cream soda, and the vodka, and consoled the half-Cherokee woman as she cried. Both knew that she would probably still adore him, but had to give up the dream.

A few weeks later, their assignments were given for ships. Dani, Tanya, and several other cadets were thrilled to find themselves stationed aboard the USS Enterprise. Both women were engineers, but shared another round of candies when they realized that Dani's childhood crush was onboard and a round of vodka-and-cream soda cocktails when they learned that the other cadet was there too. From that moment on, the women knew it would be an interesting battle to see if Dani would get her man, or if she would be giving him up to Nyota Uhura.

~~~~~~~~ END Chapter ~~~~~~~~

*the title will be explained later, I promise.~~J.


	2. Can't Keep Her Out of Trouble

Can't Keep Her Out of Trouble

Author's Note: It was pointed out to me that she seemed kind of stalker-ish. That's not what I was aiming for. More along the lines of the first mind-meld supposed to make them think of each other and bring them together when he first hits _pon farr_. That's all going to get explained in the next couple of chapters, but if you want to check the episode out, it's Amok Time in the Original Series.

Lots of thanks to Vulcanvamp, ImmortallVulcan, FuzzyDeath (if you haven't read _Rewritten, _go do that after you review. It's great!), and Alison

DISCLAIMER: I own Danica and Tanya. That's it. FuzzyDeath owns Cierra, and neither one of us owns Star Trek. I'm pretty sure that was a given, though.

TWO YEARS LATER

Lieutenant Danica NeakitaDelavert was not having a good day. Four electrical shocks to her hands ensured that an eczema break-out was in her near future. She was currently perched atop a ladder muttering curses at whatever idiot decided that short skirts and high-heeled boots were the ideal for women in Starfleet. "I'd like to see those chauvinists get any work done on a ladder with _their_ cookies exposed to the whole friggin' ship," she muttered as she tried to tug the skirt back down without knocking herself off the ladder.

She felt a hand on the back of her thigh. "Let me help you with that, sweetheart," a male voice said. It was one of more rude members of the security team.

She sighed. This was the chief reason she wished she could wear pants. "Get your hand off me, now, or I'll feed it to you."

A second hand joined the first and tried to pull her backwards off the ladder. "Honey, you're talking about assaulting a Security officer. I think I'm going to have to take you to the brig, and I think I'm gonna have some fun with it," He yanked her harder now, and those damn boots slid right off the rungs.

Falling had never scared her, and now she used the momentum to help knock the wind out of him. Her hands slammed into both sides of his collarbone as soon as she was within reach. It made him drop her, and her heel slammed into his foot as soon as she touched the ground. She brought her foot up then, using it to crush the jewels. As he hunched over to protect his bruised "pride" she brought her knee higher and used her hands to force his head lower.

He hit the ground like the sack of lard he was, unconscious. "I warned you not to touch me, jackass," she said as she spit on him.

"Stop where you are, Lieutenant," a voice behind her said. She groaned inwardly as she recognized it as the same voice she'd heard in her dreams for over a decade, Spock. "Place your hands on the wall, slowly. Spock to Security."

'Well,' she thought to herself as she complied, 'at least the hands against the wall part sounded like my dreams. I hate my luck.'

Her musings were disrupted by a hand wrapping around her left wrist and twisting her arm behind her. Spock restrained her right arm the same way, and informed her in monotone, "I am going to restrain you here until Sick Bay sends someone to inspect the corporal for injuries, and then I will be escorting you to the brig."

She had been enjoying the feel of his hands on her wrists, the closeness of his body to hers, but the word 'brig' got her attention. "Sir, with all due respect, given the fact that the corporal was threatening to rape me, both here and in the brig, I would request being confined to quarters instead."

Silence from behind her for a moment, then, "If it is your intention of pleading self-defense, then that would be a logical request."

About that time, Dr. Cierra Rose and a nurse came around the corner with a stretcher for the unconscious man. A quick scan with the tricorder, and Cierra looked up. "He's in a coma. We'll get him to sickbay and see if we can get him out of it." She exchanged a look with Dani, silently asking how the other woman was holding up.

Dani gave her half a smile. Comatose, would-be rapist aside, being restrained by the half-Vulcan would be a reason for her to cheer. Except for the fact she was facing disciplinary action, that is.

After the corporal was trundled off to Sickbay, the hands on her wrists tightened again. "What is the location of your quarters, Lieutenant?"

She told him. It was a section of the ship he was familiar with. Her quarters were next to Lieutenant Uhura's, at the end of the hall. He'd heard about numerous disagreements between the two women, but hadn't had a face or name to put to the neighbor. They walked awkwardly to the lift, and once inside he asked, "What is your name, Lieutenant, so that I have it for the report?"

She stiffened. It hurt he didn't remember her, but she had changed since then. "Lieutenant Danica Delavert, sir. And, I would like to reiterate that I acted in self-defense, sir," she tried and failed to keep the smart-ass tone out of her voice.

He did remember the name. He even remembered hearing that same tone in her voice, though it had been a higher pitch at the time. It had also been in his defense, not using tone to tell him to go to Hell. He glanced down, and given the difference in height, he could see that the upper part of her hair was rich black like it had been years ago. The rest was an auburn resembled dark, good red wine.

The rest of the trip passed in silence. Once they arrived at her quarters, he shifted his grip on her wrists so that he was holding both with one hand. He opened her door with his free hand, and informed her, "You will be limited to no more than two visitors at a time, and restrained to quarters until the captain has had a chance to go over your case."

She tipped her head so that she could see him. "Yes, sir, Commander. Anything else?"

He let go of her wrists so suddenly she stumbled slightly as she entered her quarters. As the door slid slowly together, he smiled so slightly that she thought she had imagined it, a mere twitch of the lips. "No, Dani, there isn't."

~~~~~~~~~End~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Next chapter up by the weekend, barring natural disasters. Please review, I love hearing from everyone!


	3. SPAM in the 23rd century

SPAM in the 23 century

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Star Trek, only Dani and Tanya. FuzzyDeath owns Cierra. Don't sue me, please.

Just after the door slid into place, Dani reached over and hit the button for the music system. Once it was on and sufficiently loud to block any sound she made from escaping, she groaned in frustration. "Damn it all to Hell and back! I don't see him except in passing for years, frigging years, and he recognizes me as soon as I get in another fight."

She started to calm. "At least it wasn't a fight between me and Uhura. That would've been bad." She knew he would've taken her side. It would've only been "logical" for him to believe his lover.

She dropped a cone of sandalwood and vanilla incense into the bowl of the white-feathered peace pipe sitting on the low coffee table and lit it. She never actually smoked the pipe, but it made an interesting incense burner, and the scent always helped her to relax. A beep drew her attention to the datapad sitting next to it.

Dani picked it up to see what had just arrived for her. She didn't recognize the sender, but it was verified as not having a virus. When she opened it, though, the digital package won the prize for the oddest thing she'd ever gotten in her email. It topped pictures that had circulated in the academy of now-captain Kirk, and there were lots. It even topped the ad for Andorian Viagra. It was a manual of some sort, written in Vulcan, if she wasn't mistaken. She wasn't fluent in it, so after clicking on the button for her translator she switched it to English.

"Oh my Lord!" she exclaimed as she skimmed it. It was a SEX manual. She set the datapad down onto the table, and clicked her communicator. "Delavert to Gillespie, you busy?"

Tanya's voice came back through the com. "Not at the moment, Dani. What's up?" She sounded calm, but she usually did when she sent a gag gift.

"Did you send me anything in the last week or so?"

"No, why?" the puzzlement in her voice seemed genuine.

Dani felt her head begin to pound. "You are completely certain you didn't send me any kind of manual in the last week?"

"Yeah, I'm certain. Maybe Scotty sent it? Let me ask him."

"NO!" Dani yelled into the communicator, perhaps a little too loudly. "Considering the type of manual, Tan, I doubt your boyfriend sent it to me."

Tanya's voice was a little quieter now, "What kind of manual did you get, Dani? And, by the way, where are you?"

"Confined to quarters. I knocked out Corporal grab-ass, and got busted. It was a sex manual. It wasn't in English, so I thought it was a gag from you." Dani was worried now; she didn't have many friends onboard who knew about her attraction to the first officer.

"I'll see if I can find out who sent it if you want me to ask around. What language was it in?"

"Don't ask around. It'll make it worse. Who's near you now?" Dani didn't want the whole ship to know someone sent her what amounted to Vulcan pornography.

"No one that I can see. Why?" Tanya's voice sounded appropriately suspicious. "You're acting like you did when Billy Puskman got hold of your underwear and said you gave them to him."

"This is worse. That manual was in," her voice dropped to whisper, "Vulcan."

Tanya busted out laughing. "You really had me going there for a minute, Dani. Now I know you're kidding."

Dani's face was flushed bright crimson. "It's not a joke. Stop by after work if you don't believe me. But if you didn't, and it's not something Cierra would do, who sent me this within a half an hour of getting arrested by Commander Spock?"

That got her attention. "Who else knows you have thing for him?"

"No one, as far as…oh shit. You don't think…he's not the type to play a practical joke, is he? Or did you spill my private conversations to your boy-toy?" Dani was in a near-panic now. She had an odd feeling about the manual and its timing.

"Nah, not his style. Scotty would've just locked the two of you in Engineering overnight. I'll come by after I finish my shift and check on you. You want your usual for supper, or comfort foods?"

"Usual comfort foods. This calls for it." Dani started scrolling through the manual, strictly to try to figure out who sent it. The first part seemed to be fairly basic 'tab A in slot B' directions, but the second part…it was fairly descriptive of Vulcan mating rituals and some sort of mate-or-fight instinct. 'That could be interesting,' she thought before something dragged her out of it.

"Have Spock arrive covered in chocolate, got it," Tanya said in a tone that said that she knew that Dani was not paying attention.

"If you're going to say things like that, just make sure no one hears you, please. I'm in enough trouble at the moment without you starting rumors by accident." Her eyes drifted back to the manual. "I'm going to try to figure out who sent me this. I'll see you when you get here."

"And your chocolate?" the teasing note was obvious.

Dani laughed. The first real time that day she'd felt like laughing. "If you think you can swing it, do it. But if you do it, you better not show up at the same time. We've been friends too long for me to have to tell you to hit the road. Delavert out." She took the datapad and headed to her bathroom to soak in the tub.

"After all, reading material such as this is best examined in a relaxing environment," she mused out loud.

Vulcan II

The woman sat back in her seat and held her hand up to the terminal; her fingers formed the traditional salute [A/N: live long and prosper]. The bond had been partially severed between herself and Spock years ago, when he had accidently initiated a second bond to the human girl. T'Pring had no resentment over this. If she felt any emotion at all over it, it was relief or gratitude. She had no desire to wed the half-breed; her aspirations were higher than that. It would not be logical, though, to not warn her about the effects that _pon farr_ could have on him. The human could refuse the bond because of a lack of knowledge. If she did, it was theoretically possible for T'Pring's family and Ambassador Sarek to insist upon a union between her and Spock.

As this was an outcome she wished to avoid, the logical thing was to not only inform the human Danica of what would happen, but also to pique her interest. T'Pring had selected that particular manual because of the discussions on physical pleasure as well as the basic mechanics of reproduction. She had to ensure that the human would accept him, and that proximity would make Danica the logical choice for him.

~~~~~~~~~End~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note: Hope you like the twist, please be kind and review!


	4. Cocktails aka: operation cheerup

Cocktails (aka: operation cheer-up)

Author's Note: I apologize both for the shortness of this chapter, and the silliness of it. My youngest has his days and nights mixed up, which means between him at night and his big sisters during the day, Mommy gets nooooo sleep. And, unfortunately, I get silly when sleep-deprived. Please forgive me. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, and pre-emptive thanks to everyone who will review. It'll make my day if you do. ~ J.

DISCLAIMER: I only own Dani, Tanya, and the drink recipe. Feel free to try it, it's great. FuzzyDeath owns Cierra, if you haven't read "Rewritten" yet, get out from under the rock and go read it, please. I don't own anything else.

Dani woke up to a tap on the bathroom door. The datapad had fallen to the floor beside the tub and the water had drained, just like it was programmed to if she fell asleep. She fumbled for the towel that was within reach, wrapped it around her and opened the door. She was really hoping that it was Tanya, and not the commander returning for her official statement.

She wasn't disappointed, as she saw her long-time friend standing there with a bottle of vodka and another of cream soda under one arm, and a chocolate-caramel-nut cheesecake in the other hand. Dr. Cierra Rose was parked on the couch with a large tub of mint ice cream. "We had the same idea of toting comfort food to you, and when you didn't answer the door," Tanya gestured to Ci, "she let us in."

"Let me grab some clothes, and then I'll show you the manual. I left it by the tub, if you want to you can go ahead and grab it." The door to her bedroom closed behind her as she continued talking through it. "The first part isn't any worse than junior high health class. It mentions some of the cultural details too, though." She walked out in an oversize tee-shirt and sweats. "The second part, though, is almost as graphic as…"

Tanya interrupted her. "As the dreams you told me about in high school? As the books you hid behind the head of your bed? As graphic as the pictures that we got from Alessandria when she found out we were stationed here? What? Give me a frame of reference here."

Cierra had started in on the ice cream already. "What are you talking about?" she asked between spoonfuls.

Dani retrieved the datapad from the bathroom floor, and handed it first to the doctor, "Someone is either playing a massive joke on me, or I have done something to get some really bad karma. Personally, I'm voting joke still. And, Tanya, I'm talking about as graphic as those holo-vids you bought last time we were on leave."

It is not possible to snort mint ice cream, but one glance at the manual and Cierra tried. "The emotionally constipated idiots have to have a manual to figure out sex?" she stuttered around her laughter.

Tanya snatched the card from the giggling doctor. "It seems like more of a 'Vulcan Kama Sutra' as opposed to an instruction book or a how-to manual. I don't think it's a goof, Dani," she said as she scrolled over to the index to see what was included. She pointed out a mark at the bottom, in the publishing information, "See, this says that it's written to help males avoid challenge. Was there any cultural information attached with it?" She checked the index and started scrolling up.

"Yeah, chapter 2," Dani said as she got three glasses down and began fixing the cocktails. She made them stronger than usual, one ounce of vodka and four ounces cream soda. It was twice as strong as usual, but given the circumstances…

"There are multiple chapters to the SPAM email porn they send out? Figures," Cierra mumbled, taking the offered glass from Dani.

Tanya continued to read as she reached for her drink. "Apparently, it's a cultural expectation that if the woman is not kept satisfied, sexually or otherwise, then every seven years when 'mating time' occurs, she has the right to demand that her husband enter combat with a champion of her choice."

Dani took a drink from her cocktail as she thought about that for a moment. "So, it's in the male's best interest to…study up on sex?" The blush was impossible to restrain. Her mind had instantly furnished the image that had danced through it earlier that day, of Spock restraining her and taking her against the wall.

Tanya drained her drink and walked over to fix herself another one. "Considering the fight is to the death, winner takes all, yeah. His best bet would be to be Don Juan de Vulcan." She giggled as she attempted to toss the datapad to Cierra and missed. She messily mixed her second drink, just as strong as the first. "Green blood would mean green erections, right, Doc?"

Cierra nodded as she began scrolling through the mailing. Even she had to admit that it was unexpectedly very…detailed and erotic. Between that and the drinks, she might not be staying as long as she'd planned.

"Dani," Tanya raised her glass, "here's to hoping you get a cucumber instead of a baby dill!" Then she drank the whole glass in one gulp, and passed out into a convenient chair, apparently unable to hold her liquor.

~~~~~~~~~End~~~~~~~~~

A/N: If anyone really cares to hear the particulars of the manual, or the reasons behind it, review and leave your email. As soon as I manage to get the whole thing written (if anyone really wants to read it), I can email it. Or, you can PM me with specific questions, and I'll try to answer them. Thanks for reading, be sure to review! G'night!


	5. Chapter 5

Official Actions

Author's Note: I sincerely apologize for taking so long getting this chapter up. There was a death in my husband's family, then bronchitis made it's way around me and the kids, and it just got more complicated from there. Long story short (too late, I know) it took me a while to get this the way I wanted it. However, I hope you all enjoy it. On with the story!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Star Trek. Really, anything you recognize except Dani and Tanya (who will be re-occurring) isn't mine, even remotely. Honest, it's not mine.

After bidding Cierra goodnight and tossing a blanket over Tanya, Danica walked into her own room and shut the door. She opened the small chest on the dresser and plunked both pairs of her simple gold hoop earrings into the tray. The gold chain followed them, and then she closed the lid. She slid the baggy sweatpants off before climbing into bed. Just before she laid her head down, she slid her hand under the pillow to double check that the mirror was underneath it.

That mirror was her dirty little secret. She'd made sure to put one under her pillow every night since she was small. Well, since the night that Tanya had double-dared her to, telling her that it would show her who she would fall in love with. It hadn't failed, either. Every night since then, she'd dreamed of Spock. Not all of them were pleasant dreams, but he'd been front and center in all of them. She really hoped they didn't involve her in unpleasant situations tonight, unless they were the "knight in shining armor" type dreams.

She was almost asleep when a steady, rhythmic pounding began permeating the room. "Damn it," she muttered under her breath. It was bad enough that her quarters were next to Nyota Uhura, who the whole ship KNEW was sleeping with Spock, but to have to listen to them having sex less than 100 feet from her was too much.

Normally, on a good-to-average day, she'd just sandwich her head between pillows to block her ears, go take a walk around the engine room for a while, or maybe even go ask Cierra for something to help her sleep if she had to get up for the early shift the next day. She wasn't the type to begrudge anybody the chance to get laid, even if she herself was not indulging.

However, as the day had gone from "on a ladder in a short skirt" to "arrested," she wasn't in a forgiving mood. Nor, in all honesty, did she have the ability to leave to get either the walk or the sleeping pill. So, she decided on the next best thing.

"Computer, play personal music file, 20th century albums, 'Destroyer.' Volume 10," she ordered. The music came on, but was not loud enough to drown out the underlying beat that was permeating the room like a heartbeat. "Computer, volume 20." She waited a few moments to ensure that she would not be able to hear anything above the music.

Once it was impossible to hear the sound of the pair next door, she finally turned over and went to sleep. A self-satisfied smile was plastered onto her face, and her last coherent thought was, 'Music always has helped me sleep.'

She woke up from the most erotic dream she'd ever had to find she could not see. Funny, she'd always thought that masturbating too much was what caused blindness, not dirty dreams. It took her a few moments to realize that there was a sticky-note stuck to her forehead. She pulled the offending piece of paper off and read it.

Dani

Your neighbor is evil. She was over here EARLY to complain about music, which kicked ass by the way. Didn't want to wake you, sounded like a good dream, so I turned it off and gonna head into work early. Might have to deal with her later. Enjoy your day off!

Tanya

She had to chuckle as she went about her morning routine. Sweats back on but not the bra, bathroom, and jewelry all went without a hitch, but she'd just curled up on the couch with a bowl of cereal and her datapad when the door chimed. She closed the manual on the datapad and called out, "Enter," as she took a bite of her breakfast.

The door slid open with a soft _snick_ to reveal both the captain and first officer. She sat up a little straighter, mentally cursed herself for not bothering to put on a bra, and saluted. When the door had slid shut behind the men, she said, "Have a seat, gentlemen. What can I do for you?" She silently prayed that this was about the assault and not Uhura griping about the music.

"We just need to get your official statement about what happened yesterday. We've already gotten the security footage and the medical report from sickbay. Just begin by stating your name for the record, please," Kirk said, motioning for Spock to begin recording. His eyes were scanning the room, and came to rest on the crossed peace pipes on the desk, and the belly dance costume hanging on the back wall.

"My full name is Lieutenant Danica Neakita Delavert."

"Please tell us for the record what happened on June twenty-third, between you and Corporal Kristopher Bennett."

She took a deep breath, and set aside her bowl down on the end table. "I was assigned to perform routine maintenance on the terminals in Corridor twenty-four. While I was on a ladder to reach Panel fifteen, Corporal Bennett approached me from behind and began fondling my thigh. When I told him to remove his hand from my person, he attempted to pull me off the ladder. He had stated that he was going to, and I quote, 'have some fun with me' once he got me to the brig. I responded with a basic self-defense technique I was taught prior to joining Starfleet, abbreviated SIGN."

Jim interrupted her here, "SIGN? What does that stand for?"

"Shoulder, instep, groin, nose. It's the order a woman should strike an attacker to incapacitate him so she can get away. I used the momentum I had from him pulling me off the ladder when I hit his shoulders." She sat straighter in her chair. "I was reacting on instinct, defending myself."

Kirk grinned at her. "Don't worry, I believe you that you were just acting in self defense. I pulled his record before I came in here. He had multiple citations for sexual harassment, and after this I have to wonder if there weren't more, or women he raped, that didn't come foreword." He dropped the grin. "But because he's in a coma, I have to 'sentence' you to two months confinement to quarters for excessive use of force. You will be permitted to have no more than two visitors at a time, and I'll have someone hook a replicator up in here. Further more, I will be addressing the issue of harassment with the rest of the crew." He and Spock left her quarters then, and she let out a sigh of relief. That could've went a lot worse.

She went back to finishing her breakfast, and reading that manual, finding the detailed prose strangely spellbinding. There were several passages impressing the importance of making sure the female in the relationship was satisfied, making vague references to 'marriage-or-challenge' that was issued every seven years. "Definitely a reason to make sure your wife is happy, or she'll make you fight to the death for the privilege of remaining married to her," she mused to herself.

She was so caught up in her thoughts on the journal, that when the ship's intercom sounded she jumped. "Attention all hands this is your captain speaking. It has come to my attention that some members of the crew are under the impression that it is alright to make continued unwanted advances to female crew members. This is not only against Starfleet regulations, but from now on will be treated like a personal insult aimed at my mother. It will be dealt with accordingly, and any other crewman that chooses to take these insults in a similar fashion is welcome to. On a related note, any woman that chooses to wear pants on duty as opposed to the skirt has official permission to as long as they are solid black, like the uniform pants that are required for men. Captain out."

~~~~~~~~~End~~~~~~~~~

I hope you like it, and I will be trying to update on a more regular basis. Please don't forget to review. It helps me write better, I promise.


	6. She's pure hellfire

It took less than a day for word to get around the ship about one of the quiet girls from engineering getting arrested for assault. The story seemed even more fascinating to people when they linked it to he Captain's announcement, and soon she had people sending messages of support to her PADD. Scotty had even taken it upon himself to send a bottle of Glenlivet single-malt Scotch by way of Tanya. Apparently, Corporal Grab-ass Bennett had been giving all the female engineers trouble.

After the first shore leave, a week after Dani had been restrained to quarters, several semi-anonymous gifts showed up outside her door. Most were from women who were no longer having to deal with gropes and grabs every time they wound up working on a ladder or crawling in a jefferies tube, but a few were from grateful boyfriends. There were several mismatch bouquets of flowers decorating the various flat surfaces in the room, baskets of fruit and boxes of all kinds of candy interspersed with the vases.

Tanya was over almost every evening, and Cierra was a frequent visitor too. They kept her from going crazy from her confinement. Her only real activities were reading 'the manual' start to finish and running through her belly dance workout. She made a point of keeping the music very loud, as Uhura seemed to be on her back a lot more than she was at her post. She also seemed to have morphed into a screamer, making it even more imperative to Dani's sanity to keep the music loud.

This caused a problem within the first week. She got a visit at least once a day from 'the screamer' demanding that she turn the music down. She tried to calmly explain that if Uhura would keep her nocturnal activities quiet, the music would follow suit. It didn't help matters, and every night Dani had started falling asleep to a mix of music from the late 20th century and the early 21st, ranging from KISS and MeatLoaf to Big 'n' Rich and Brooks 'n' Dunn.

On the fourteenth day of her confinement, Dani decided to work on her abdominal undulations in front of the large mirror in her bedroom to double-check her form. It was late, the music was loud with a steady beat, and the door was locked. As she began moving the various muscles of her abdomen in time with the rapid pace of Lady GaGa's "Love Game," she heard her PADD ping with a new message. She sighed, and paused the music. The pad was lying on the dresser, so it didn't take long to open the newest message.

*At the appointed time, say 'Spock, parted from me but never parted. Never and always touching, and touched, I await you within.' You will know when. Signed, A Friend*

"What the fuck?" she muttered under her breath. "You will know the appointed time? What in the name of good gravy is that supposed to mean?" At that moment, the slight sound of her main door opening caught her off guard. Almost immediately, the PADD was dropped and her hand found a phaser.

She moved as silently as the coin belt at her waist would allow, and peeked around the frame of the bedroom door. She almost fell over when she realized who it was that had broken into her quarters and was currently making his way through the maze of flowers that had sprung up since last shore leave. She stepped around the door, her hand dropping behind her skirt to hide the phaser. "Commander, to what do I owe the unexpected pleasure of your company?" The hope that it wasn't about the music again was thick in her throat.

Spock turned, slowly, as if he didn't quite realize why she was there, or maybe why he was. He was silent for several long heartbeats, drinking her in with his eyes. He lingered at her breasts, held firmly in place by the sports bra she wore to practice, and then slipped down to the golden belt that gave weight to her hips and rang with every movement.

She moved closer, causing the coins on the belt to jingle. "Commander Spock?" she asked tentatively as his eyes were drawn to the nearly sheer silk skirt that hid her legs. "Are you alright, Commander?" When that didn't get a response, she took another step closer and whispered, "Spock, are you ok?"

That seemed to get his attention back up to her face. He gazed deeply into her eyes and said, "Danica, parted from me but never parted. Never and always touching, and touched, I come to the place of joining." The look on his face was so intense, so deeply passionate that it took her breath away.

'This was what the message was about,' she thought a breath before she smiled. "Spock, parted from me but never parted. Never and always touching, and touched, I await you within," she answered, and held her hand out to him.

There was a moment as their eyes met that time seemed to freeze, and then he was next to her, one of his arms wrapped around her waist just above her belt. The other hand had tangled itself in her hair as their lips crashed together. She reached behind her to unfasten the belt, letting it fall to the floor with a jingle. As soon as it hit the floor, she moved her hand back to his hair. He moved his hand from the back of her head to clasp with the other one around her waist, and lifted her up. She took the unspoken cue to wrap her legs around his waist. He lifted her and carried her into the bedroom.

They collapsed on the bed, with him pressing her into the mattress. Both seemed to know without being told that they would not be leaving the bed for quite some time.

Two days after Spock abruptly announced his on-ship vacation and disappeared, the Enterprise docked at a space station to both drop off Corporal Bennett and pick up his replacement. Jim Kirk sized up the man in front of him carefully. Lance-Corporal William Earl Puskman, Jr., according to his transfer record, greeted the captain with a firm handshake.

He noted the man being transferred via gurney off the ship. "I was told a couple of friends of mine were also stationed on your ship, Captain. I grew up with Lieutenants Delavert and Gillespie, so I'm guessing that was Dani's work there?" he said, nodding to the gurney. When Jim nodded, Billy laughed loudly. "Someone shoulda warned him about her. She's pure hellfire when she's mad."


	7. Consequenses

Consequences

Authors Note: I'm very sorry this took so long to get up. My muse comes and goes, and it is difficult to write anything with an M rating with small children on my lap. Also, this chapter does end on a slightly off note, mostly because I came down with a cold, and Sudafed does funny things when mixed with Mt. Dew. The actors I see when I envision Billy and Dani's uncles (introduced at the end) are {Billy=Brad Pitt}, {uncles=Jeff Goldblum in Independence Day, Benjamin Bratt in The Cleaner, and Lou Diamond Phillips in Young Guns}. I hope that helps. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER

Three days after finding Commander Spock in her quarters, Dani woke up to find him gone. She sat up, wincing slightly, and listened to see if he was in the shower. Not a single sound permeated her rooms, so she slid out from between the sheets and grabbed a nightshirt from the drawer. She walked into the main part of the quarters, looking for a note or sign of where he went, but there was nothing. He was just gone. Only the small aches and mess that always followed sex were there to remind her that the last few days hadn't been a dream.

Dani went to the shower, running it warm to soothe away some of the small pains. It was there that she realized that they hadn't used any condoms, and she wasn't on any kind of birth control. There hadn't been a need until three days ago. She swore softly as she turned the water off. She slid the nightgown on and went to the dresser. She dug deep in the drawer to hunt down a pair of underwear that wouldn't rub too much on delicate tissues that were still sore.

"Delavert to sick bay." She prayed that Cierra was on duty instead of Dr. McCoy.

Luck was not on her side. "McCoy here. Go ahead, Delavert." Dani swore under her breath, and then asked Bones to please have Dr. Rose swing by her quarters. When he offered to come deal with her hands, which was the usual problem, she cut him off quickly.

"It's a personal matter, OB/GYN type personal," she said in a rush. She was glad she used the audio-only com or he would see the embarrassment blatant on her face.

A half-hour later, Cierra was storming into Dani's quarters. "Why the hell does a single woman need an OB/GYN to come to her quarters," she held up a hand as Dani tried to interrupt, "unless it's because she's knocked up. And you by God better not be calling me here for that."

Dani raised her eyebrows at that. "Actually, Ci, I called you to come here because I can't go out there. House arrest, remember?" She blushed slightly, "But I needed to ask you about treatment for…friction burn."

Cierra smirked. "Are we talkin' hands, knees, and spine rug-burn type friction burn? Or are we talking over-use, found a man and rode him like a rodeo pony type friction burn?"

The blush deepened, "He was here for three days. A little bit of both, I guess."

"Damn! Just…damn," Cierra swore with a smile. She felt happy for her friend, after all if she was this sore afterword, the likelihood of it being the emotionally-constipated object of Dani's affections were somewhere between slim and none. "Should I be looking for him in Sick Bay with a similar ailment anytime soon?"

"I doubt he would seek treatment even if it was bothering him." Dani shifted on her seat uncomfortably, certain parts still very sore and tender. "Can I please get something for this before the Inquisition?"

Cierra pulled out a jar of salve and held it just out of Dani's reach. "Who's the stud? And should I be looking for more women as he works his way around?" A more serious look crossed the doctor's face. "Did you use any kind of protection, or do I get to run a scan for the whole host of STDs on your ass too?"

Dani gave a wry chuckle. "I thought I was dreaming, Ci, condoms were about the last thing on my mind. I'm not even on birth control, but I wasn't thinking of that." She swiped her hand across her cheeks, wiping away the start of tears. "I know it was stupid, and reckless, and knowing my luck I'm probably pregnant. I would do it again, though, in half a heartbeat. He showed up almost out of nowhere, and offered me everything I ever really wanted."

She sank down onto the couch and wrapped her arms around her abdomen. She looked up at Cierra, "Oh dear God, what if I'm pregnant? How soon would you be able to tell?" Tears started to trace their way down her cheeks. After a moment or two of picturesque weeping, she broke down into real crying. Runny nose, puffy eyes, the whole nine yards; real crying is messy, like real sex.

Cierra froze for a moment, like a deer in the headlights. Then she handed the other woman a box of tissues from the desk, and said, "You have about a week and a half before we could test for pregnancy an' get an accurate result. Who's the maybe-daddy that has you all tore up?"

About that point, Tanya walked in without any kind of an alert. "Whoa, I expected you to be glowing, not bawling. After all, I thought Charis had managed to snag her Hephaestus, or was that someone else in there making enough racket that your neighbor was griping about it?" She noted Cierra's slightly puzzled look. "Charis was one of the Greek goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility, and was married to Hephaestus. The Roman name for Hephaestus was Vulcan. Need I go on?"

Dani smiled. "One of Tanya's specialties is ancient mythological connections to modern races. She's always referred to him as my Hephaestus," she explained to Ci. To Tanya, she said, "Yes, it was him in here. He left, no note, no goodbye, nothing. And, yes, Ci, before you even ask, Spock is the one who spent the last three days with me." She started sobbing again. "When I got up this morning it was like he'd never been here, except for the friggin' friction-burns."

"FRICTION BURNS! Damn, wait until Billy hears that you managed to find a stud. Which, by the way, is why I came over, yesterday and today both. He got stationed up here," Tanya rushed. "He wanted to come by and say hi, but I told him I'd check and make sure you were decent first. Yesterday, I came by and didn't even step in after I opened the door. You were screaming 'Oh God, Oh God, don't stop!' so I didn't want to come any closer. That's not to mention the shirt that was hanging off edge of the couch was blue and too big to be one of yours, so I knew you weren't flying solo."

"Tanya! Is your brain not connected to your mouth!?!" Dani cried out, blushing bright copper.

"Anywhoozle, if Doc Rose is done, I'll go get Billy, and the two of you can get caught up on how he and Bobbi are doing," and Tanya waved as she left the room.

"Bobbi?" Cierra asked, looking at Dani as she handed over the jar of salve. She ran a scanner over the other woman to double-check that the only injuries were from friction.

"My uncle and Billy's significant other for the last three years. There's a picture over on the mantle." She pointed at a picture of herself, Tanya, a tall blonde guy, and three Indian men. Two were tall, slightly rough looking men, one of them with tribal armband tattoos on each arm; the third was shorter, slender and overall more delicate looking. "My uncles, Phillip is the tallest, Mark is the one with the tats, and Bobbi is the one next to Billy."

And now its time, everyone, to hit that wonderful little review button and let me know what you think! Like it? Review! Hate it? Review and let me know how to improve it! Don't really care one way or another? Review and say hi!


	8. Heartbreak and His Side

Heartbreak and His Side

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING YOU RECOGNIZE!!!! That should cover my backside, right?

Author's Note: One, this was wrote with a severe ear infection, so if it doesn't make much sense outside of my head, blame the antibiotics and the lack of equilibrium. Two, yes Spock will seem (at least slightly) OOC. This is to show that the circumstances are affecting him as much as it is Dani. I do have a reason, I promise, but you might need to see note one if it don't. Three, there's a poll in my profile that directly affects the next chapter. Go vote and make your voice be heard!! :D Uber-kudos to everyone who reviewed last chapter, you rock on toast!

SHAMELESS PLUG!! If by some imperceptible chance you haven't read FuzzyDeath's trilogy Rewritten, Remean, and Relapse, what are you waiting for?!? Read this chapter, review it, and then go repeat the process with Fuzzy's stories.

Now, on with the show!

For the next week and a half, Dani was only alone to sleep. Billy was over to catch up every chance he got, Tanya asked Scotty to switch her to evening shift, and Cierra was over to chat daily. Most of the conversation was steered away from the fact that during Billy's first visit to her quarters, Nyota had started screaming in time to the headboard. Dani's face had gotten a determined look, one that Billy had seen only once before, and she walked out of the room and shut her bedroom door behind her.

"I haven't seen her that pissed off since I showed up with a black eye and three busted ribs after telling my dad I was gay." Billy shook his head, "He was always a mean drunk, but she set her face all determined like that and stormed right into VanZandt's. She's all little and cute, but she laid my old man on his ass right there in front of everyone. Told him, 'If I hear tell of you hitting anyone ever again, you fat-ass bigot, I will rain holy Hell down on you. Do I make myself clear?' It was one of the strangest sights ever there. We hadn't even been friends long, less than a week, and I'd picked on her since grade school. But that didn't stop her from stepping in to defend me."

Cierra looked at him, "So you knew her when she first met that emotionally-constipated prick?"

He nodded. "I'm actually responsible, but not in the way I would've liked. I was a bully then, picked on her for being half-Cherokee, picked on Tanya for her mom being a Wiccan, and was picking on him for not being fully human. She saw it, and came over and beat the shit out of me for it. Kicked me in the 'nads, then hit me in the face." He looked at the closed bedroom door, and a look of almost pain went across his face. "I'm starting to want to go hit him again. She doesn't deserve this."

They both heard a loud, wracking sob from the bedroom, and it seemed to galvanize him. "I'll be right back," he said. Then he walked out. He thought about pounding on Uhura's door and just beating the living shit out of the commander, but then had a better thought. He stuck his head back inside Dani's quarters. "Hey, Doc, wanna help me convince the higher-ups that they need to have a certain diplomatic conference onboard?"

It was two years since the destruction of Vulcan, but the issues with Vulcan II's location were only just coming to light. For instance, there was a planet in the same system as the new homeworld for the Vulcans that had been in the early stages of cultivating for a group of separatists on Earth, namely the United Tribal Council. It was a council of leaders of the recognized tribes of Native Americans, and was the governing body that was securing a separate home for them.

They had been in the process of cultivating their new home when Vulcan had been destroyed. However, it was not complete, and there was a second habitable planet in the system. That second planet had been designated Vulcan II within two weeks of the destruction, but treaty-talks were still being held between the UTC and the Vulcan Government, with the Federation acting as a mediator.

Admiral Pike was the Federation representative on the talks; Phillip Spotted-Horse was negotiating on behalf of the Tribal Council. Therefore, between Ci explaining the situation to Pike and Billy breaking all the news to Bobbi and his brothers, it wasn't that difficult to have the Enterprise assigned as the ship to house the talks.

Phillip had been hoping it was anyway, for the excuse to visit with his niece. Finding out that she might be pregnant by a man who didn't value her…well that was reason to come with both of his younger brothers in force. Danica was the daughter of his only sister, she deserved better than to be used and abandoned. They would just have to remind this 'Spock' of that.

Spock woke disoriented in his own bed, and looked to the calendar on his clock. He was surprised to realize that he had lost three and a half full days. A check of the computer showed that he hadn't left the ship, and that he had a message from his father.

The message turned out to be an updated _guvik dunap_ [A/N: Literal translation, sex book, VLD]. His father had taken it upon himself to point out a particular page and section as important for Spock to read. He did, and soon realized the gravity of the situation he had woken to find himself in. _Pon farr _had undergone an unexpected change with the destruction of Vulcan, causing them to be driven to their bond-mate to mate, instead of being driven to go to a ritual battle-ground for the marriage ceremony. It was also causing extreme loss of memory during _pon farr_, which explained why he didn't remember the last three days. It also mentioned an increase of pregnancies began during _pon farr_, even if the female was not supposed to be ovulating at that time.

His blood felt like it had been replaced with ice water. Barring some pretty extreme intervening circumstances, he had impregnated a female member of the ship and he could not remember what had happened during the last three and a half days. He couldn't track his movements within the ship after the fact, and he couldn't very well go around asking female crew members if he had spent the last three days in their beds. Perhaps meditation would reveal the answer; if not, he would have to just watch the women on board for signs of early pregnancy or hope that whoever it was contacted him when she realized he was gone.

He sat in his meditation nook and calmed himself. He began the first of several meditations to try to remember. The first day, only sounds were able to be recalled, soft moans and pleasure-filled sighs. He pulled himself out of the trance, unable to identify the woman's voice.

Over the next week and a half, his meditations only yielded sensory memories and emotions. The sense of acceptance, desire, and love were not going to aid in his search. He could identify the mystery woman by sight, but only from the shoulders down and nude. He also could recognize her voice, but she hadn't said anything that was a clue to her identity. Even more useless for identification purposes was knowing the feel of her body, the scent of her hair and body, and the taste of her. He couldn't go around asking women to disrobe, or to moan his name, or to allow him to bury his face in their hair.

He could only bide his time and hope that his mystery lover would find him soon. After all, if she was carrying his child, he wanted, no needed, to be nearby. He wanted to see her body ripen with their child, to help ease the pain of bringing new life into the universe. He wanted to hold her as they watched their child, or multiple children if she was willing, to grow.

But it wasn't just for the sake of offspring that wanted to find her. He was willing to admit to himself that he wanted to find her for himself, too. He might not allow himself to express emotions so he could gain acceptance from Vulcan society and his father, but that didn't mean he wanted to completely ostracize himself from them completely. His lover had opened herself to him, and wrapped him in her heart. That was something even he couldn't walk away from.

Ok, time to review. It makes me spectabulously happy to get reviews, and if I'm happy, my kids are absolutely ecstatic. So make those three little darlings in my icon pic absolutely grin and hit that cute little button.~J.


	9. The Test

The Test

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything that you recognize. That about covers it.

Author's note: Wow, two chapters in one week. I know, you must be thinking something's up, and it is. The story, or more specifically an upcoming scene that I haven't got to yet, has bit me on the nether regions and won't let go. Prolly one more chapter and a time skip before we get there, so might even make it three chapters by Monday. No promises, though. Also, PLEASE HIT THE POLL IN MY PROFILE! It asks what level of detail people are comfortable with. I can't write the scene that bit me until I hear from all of you. Mucho thanks to all the wonderful people who reviewed last chapter, hope everyone reviews again! Please enjoy!!!

The week and a half between Spock's leaving and the pregnancy test was the longest one of Dani's life. Tanya and Billy were both more than concerned about her well-being, making sure that she wasn't alone. They meant well, and she knew it, but that didn't mean she liked it. She wanted to take her broken heart and wrap it around her like a shawl. Cierra had given her a bottle of prenatal vitamins to go ahead and begin taking, just in case. They had also hijacked her liquor cabinet, also just in case. The suspense was killing her just as surely as his absence.

She turned the music down when Billy walked in, escorting Ci and her tricorder. "Tanya and I flipped for it to see who would get to be here." He grinned, showing dimples he would've denied having ten years before. "I won, so I get to tell her about it later. I know I'm not who you want in here," he said, the grin fading. He picked up her hand and held it to his face. "If you want me to go and drag him in here, just name the body part you want me to use as a handle."

The thought made Ci smile, but Dani shook her head. "He knows what we did, and what it can cause. If he wanted to know, he'd have come by before now." She set her face in determined lines to keep the tears from falling. "It's not like he doesn't know where I'm at, twenty-four hours a day. He spends his evenings NEXT FUCKING DOOR, fucking Uhura into my living room wall! It wouldn't have killed him to even just knock on the door to stick his head in to ask me to let him know. But he didn't, so until he gets curious he doesn't need to know."

"And when your baby's born with his ears or green blood?" Cierra asked. She was starting the scan, and her eyes were focused on the tiny beeping screen. "People ain't exactly the nicest about that sorta thing. The blood and ears, or the 'keepin' it to yourself' part either one."

"It's not like either one would be something I would be able to hide onboard. He's going to find out if I'm pregnant…"

Ci interrupted her, "He's going to find out." She turned the tricorder screen to Dani. "It's positive, and the hormone levels are elevated to the point that in about a month I'm going to scan again to check for multiple babies. Congratulations, if you want 'em."

Dani looked like she both wanted to laugh and cry. Billy asked her, "Sweetie, how do you feel? Do you want me to get Tanya?"

"No, not yet. I'm really pregnant? You're not trying to pull one over on me? You swear to God I'm really pregnant?" Dani seemed to be close to panicking as she demanded answers from her doctor friend. But, surprisingly, the smile seemed to grow the more frantic she got.

Cierra had to smile. "Yes, I swear to whatever sadistic psychopath is in charge. You really do have a little mini-Spock on the way." Dani's whole face lit up as she grabbed Ci into a hug. "I still think you should tell him, Dani. He has the right to know," Ci said, albeit slightly strangled.

Dani let her go. "I told you, Ci, when he wants to know, then I'll be more than happy to tell him. I'll be overjoyed to tell him, all he has to do is want to know." Her face fell a little. "Even if he doesn't ask until after the baby comes, all he has to do is be here. If I go tell him, he might think that I got pregnant on purpose. I don't want anyone saying I intentionally got pregnant to attempt to trick him into marrying me."

"But what if he thinks you hid the baby from him, Dani?" Billy asked. "I think you need to swallow your pride on this one, hon."

"It's not pride, Billy. He's a private person, if he wanted people to know he…" she swallowed nervously, "slept with me, he would've come back by now. I thought he had ended it with her before coming here. Apparently I was mistaken. If he doesn't want to acknowledge he was with me, fine. I won't push, and I damn sure won't beg."

"Dani…" he tried again.

She shook her head. "No, Billy. The original point of sex was pregnancy and babies. If he didn't realize that this was a possible outcome, then he shouldn't be the science officer, now should he?" Billy could only shake his head; he couldn't really argue with her on that point. "So he either doesn't want to admit he slept with me, or he's incompetent. Neither option screams 'Tell him' to me."

Billy stood up. "You might not think he needs to know, but as a man, I can tell you it was probably the furthest thing from his mind. You want to wait a while before you tell him, fine. But don't wait too long," and he walked out.

"I have to say I agree with him," Cierra said. "Spock deserves to know."

At that instant, almost as if on cue, the wall started thudding. Dani pointed towards it, tears stinging her eyes threatening to fall, "That right there tells me that he isn't interested in finding out. If he was, he wouldn't be next door getting his ashes hauled." He first angry tear streaked down her face. She wiped at it blindly as another followed it. "Can we go through the do's and don'ts for expectant mothers later, Ci? I need some time alone."

"Just don't do nothin' stupid, ok? If you want to beat him, just say the word and we'll drag his sorry ass in here." Cierra picked up her tricorder and started for the door. "Keep takin' your prenatal vitamins, and I'll be in tomorrow to go over everything you're gonna need to know."

Dani smiled at her through the tears. "Don't worry; I'm going to do absolutely everything in my power to get this little angel here safely," her hand brushed her belly, "even if I have to do it on my own."

The door closed with a nearly-silent click behind Cierra. On one side, Dani allowed the tears to finally fall, pressing a button to turn the radio on as she went. The music flooded her quarters, drowning out both the sound of her sobs and the steady thumping causing those sobs.

On the other side of the door, however, Billy stuck out a hand to catch the doctor's attention before she got too far down the hall. "Hey, have you noticed that our first officer has been a little more…distracted lately?" He watched her face, but her expression told him that she hadn't really been watching him that closely. He continued, "He's been watching almost every woman on the ship, but not the normal hot-spots. I've seen him on the bridge and in the mess hall, staring at women's stomachs. Unless he's developed a fetish for bellies, I'd say something is going on in that head of his. Something's up, but he ain't going to open up to me."

Ci interrupted him, "You think he's gonna talk to me? You're outta your mind."

"No, but you have two people who you can talk to who might be able to get him to open up. Doc Bones and the captain, neither of which will talk to me any more than is necessary. Side affect of being openly gay, but I'll live," he shrugged. "But if you can get one of them to talk to the pointy-eared lothario, maybe we can nudge him in the right direction."

She shook her head. "That wouldn't be ethical, telling one of them what's goin' on. It ain't our place."

He stopped her in the hallway, "But that's the beauty of it. You don't tell them what's going on with Dani, you just mention that Spock seems distracted and that you think he might open up to a guy more than to you. Then pump whoever talks to him for details," he gave her a lascivious smile, "and you can pick the method of pumping, sweetheart."

Cierra rolled her eyes at him, "I'll see what I can do, alright? No promises, though. What are you going to be doing while I'm trying to get someone to guilt a Vulcan into confessing?"

"I'm going to be having a chat with her darling uncle Bobbi to make sure that all three uncles are in the delegation from the UTC when they're here for the talks."

"So basically, I get to put him under interrogation, while you're calling home. I think I'm getting the short end of the stick here," Ci complained, albeit in a teasing voice.

Billy smiled that oh-so-charming smile again. "Honey, it ain't my fault if he's the short stick."

Yeah, I'm evil. I know. Please review, and go hit the poll.


	10. The First Delegates Arrive

The First Delegates Arrive

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Star Trek or anything associated with it. *peeks over shoulder* yep, that cover's my backside. :D

Author's Note: First off, thank you very much to everyone who reviewed, and double thanks to those who also voted. So far, that's four of you who've voted. The poll closes on Saturday, so hurry over to my profile and vote! Second, there are a few cultural references in this chapter, the reference to the bow or a sifter is a traditional way that Cherokee inquire as to the gender of a new baby. Bow is a boy, sifter is a girl. The second reference is to the legend of the Cherokee rose, which sprang up along the Trail of Tears as a reminder to the mothers' to maintain their strength for their children. Third note, the actor portraying Auggie is Scott Cohen, who played the wolf in the Tenth Kingdom. Google him if you don't recognize him. On with the story!

The next few weeks of Dani's sentence seemed to pass in a blur. There were still near-constant visits from her friends, but _he_ never came. Her depression seemed to get deeper with every day that passed; the only thing that got a smile out of her was thoughts of the new life inside her. Her playlist had started running strongly to sad country songs, the ones that played the loudest were fast-paced, "See what you lost, you stupid SOB" type songs. They were played loudest about the same time Uhura's moans would start to crescendo into screams.

Even being told that the Enterprise was going to be playing host to the talks between a delegation from the new United Tribal Council's homeworld, temporarily named Charis, and a delegation from Vulcan II didn't help. Dani took the news that the near-obligatory party would be a costume party very calmly.

"It's not like I don't have costumes around here, Tanya," she said, waving her hand at the walls. There was a full bra-belt-and-skirt belly dance set on one wall, and a turkey feather shawl with a tear dress on another. "I'm set for a costume. I've even got a couple of loaners. The tear dress and shawl is yours to use if you want it, or you can go through the box in the closet. I'm wearing my main performance set, if it's after I get out. If not, then I'm sure you'll tell everyone I said hello."

Two weeks later, the Enterprise was at Earth picking up Admiral Pike and the delegates from the Tribal Council. The Admiral stood beside a tall, dark-haired man in jeans and a sport coat. Behind the tall man, a shorter, similar-looking man wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and jeans had his arms crossed, very obviously a bodyguard. Immediately behind Pike stood a man in khaki pants, matching jacket, and icy blue button-down shirt. His hair was pulled in a neat ponytail that hung three inches below the back of his collar. The last man on the pad was dressed even more casually than any of them, blue jeans and a sapphire tee-shirt.

Admiral Pike introduced James and Spock, and the tallest man shook hands with both of them. "I'm Pete Spotted-Horse. My brothers, Mark," he motioned to the bodyguard, then to the man in khakis, "and Robert. And this is Augustine Holt, one of our holy men." He gestured to the man in jeans.

He offered his own hand to shake. "Call me Auggie."

"Where's our niece, Captain? Admiral Pike here assured us that we would be able to see her at the same time," Robert asked.

Half an hour later, after a little bit of maneuvering, the four guests were headed toward Dani's quarters. The condition Pike set for allowing them in at the same time was that it be supervised by Billy and Spock, both acting as security. Billy led the way, and as he rang the bell to get entrance to her quarters, he whispered to Bobbi, "This is not going to go over well with Dani."

She called for them to enter, but smiled in surprise to see all three of her uncles. She hugged each as he came through the door, including Auggie, but her expression chilled when she noticed the last man to come through her door. "Commander Spock, I admit I'm a little surprised to see you at this family reunion." To her credit, her voice and body language did not reveal the secret hope that he was there for her.

"It was the condition that the Captain set for allowing you to have more visitors than the original limit," he said with no inflection. It wasn't surprising, considering that he was culturally Vulcan despite his blood being half human, but it hurt Dani all the same. She stepped out of the doorway to let him in. "I will endeavor to be as unobtrusive as possible," he said, then went to inspect the collection of odds and ends decorating the walls of her quarters.

After an hour or so of chitchat, catching up, and general visiting, Pete finally tried to find a way bring up the possibility of Dani being pregnant. "So, is it a bow or…" his words trailed off at the sharp look from his niece.

"We'll discuss that another time. It's too early to tell what my current project will be, Uncle. I'm sure you're all very tired from your trip. Maybe Billy can show you where your quarters are?" Dani said, hinting strongly for her friend to take them out of there.

About that point, though, Spock spoke up from the corner, where he was studying her practice belt where it hung on the wall. "Excuse me, Lieutenant, but do you ever loan these belts to other members of the crew?"

Every other man in the room could tell by the look on her face that the shit had just hit the fan. Billy stood abruptly, dragging Bobbi up by the hand as well, and started for the door. Pete and Mark followed, but Auggie whispered that he would catch up later. "No, Commander," she replied icily, "I do not loan my dance belts out, nor do I think you have the hips to pull it off." She turned to her uncles, "If you'll excuse me," then stormed into her bedroom.

Auggie followed her into the bedroom so that they could talk freely as her uncles left. The second the door slid shut behind him, Dani turned to face her former husband, tears tracing glittery trails down her face. "Can you believe the nerve of that man? He like the belt so much when I wore it for him that he asks to borrow it to use with HER!" she sobbed, jabbing her finger angrily in the general direction of Nyota Uhura's quarters.

Auggie sighed. He didn't want to have to do this, but when she got like this there were only so many ways to get her to calm down. Yelling at her would probably bring Spock in running from the next room, and that would cause the situation to escalate. Shaking her would probably be risky to the baby he was fairly certain she was carrying. Auggie walked over, grabbed her by the shoulder to get her attention, and then slapped her across the face. He didn't slap her hard, just hard enough to get her attention.

She looked at him, startled, as he started in on her. "Danica, you are one of the strongest women I know, but right now you are acting like some damn little powder-puff instead of a Cherokee rose. The Dani I remember, the Dani I married, would not let anyone get away with any of this crap. You get out of here in a week, the same day as that costume party. Now, are you going to sit in here and piss away your one chance at real happiness, or are you going to pull up the big-girl panties and fight for your man?"

His words seemed to galvanize her nerve again. Her posture straightened, the fire in her eyes rekindled. "Thanks, Auggie, for reminding me that I'm made of stronger stuff than that." She gave him a wry smile, "It's been a rough couple of weeks. This is the first I've seen of him since the night I got pregnant." She blushed, something that didn't happen often. "Err…nights."

He smiled at her with all the kindness and gentleness a man of the cloth is supposed to possess. "Dani, darlin', your sex life hasn't been any of my business since our divorce. You don't have to explain or justify jack shit to me. As long as you're happy, the details of what causes that happiness," his smile shifted to a more mischievous one, "can remain up to my imagination. Want me to thump the headboard against the wall some, give him a taste of his own medicine?"

She laughed, full and rich. "Nah, I've got my own ideas for getting him back. I think it's going to be time to break out the sapphire set Saturday."

"I thought you just wanted him," he pointed his thumb at the door behind him, "not every unattached male on this ship?" The look on his face made it crystal clear he was teasing.

She answered it with an impish look of her own. "Yes, but it's time to pull out the big guns. I know that the sapphire set attracts a lot of attention, and I may not get another chance to wear it before I start showing." Her shoulders started to sag again at the thought of being alone still once the pregnancy started to show.

Auggie shot her a look. "Pour the steel back in your spine, Dani. Don't let this shake you. Now, I'm gonna get out of your hair, and get him out too, so's you can start getting your set ready." He opened the door, leaned over to kiss her cheek, and said, "I'll see you later, Dani-doll. Now, Commander, could you show me to those quarters now?" He shouldered his backpack, picked up his duffel bag, and followed the other man out. Just before the door closed, he winked at Dani, assuring his ex-wife that he was up to something.

Yay! Long chapter! Now everybody, REVIEW! Then vote in my profile. :D


	11. A Journey of the Mind, part 1

A Journey of the Mind, part 1

DISCLAIMER: *looks around* Nope, still don't own it. If you want to borrow Dani, just ask.

Author's note: The first part of this chapter has nothing to do with the title, but the latter half does. All words in italics are translated in brackets afterword set up [translation, language]. And, yes, I got the idea of his guides from "A Christmas Carol," I hope you all enjoy it. Don't forget to review, plus there's a new poll in my profile, please be sure to vote. On with the show!!

J.

Commander Spock found himself enjoying Auggie's company, despite an instinctive dislike of the man. He hadn't tried to strike up a conversation until they were several hundred feet away from Lt. Delavert's quarters. Even then, until they had reached Augustine's guest quarters, the conversation was mostly light. They discussed meditation techniques, comparing Vulcan techniques with the Cherokee versions.

Spock willingly accepted Auggie's invitation to continue the conversation when they arrived. Once inside, Auggie took a cigarette from his jacket pocket, put it in his mouth and lit it. "Now, why don't you tell me what's really bothering you, Commander Spock?" He smiled when the other man flustered and started to deny that there was anything wrong. "I'm used to figuring out when people are having problems that they don't know how to begin talking about. Anything that's said here is privileged communication, so it's not like it's going to become public knowledge."

And so, Spock began to tell Auggie what he could of his problem. He explained about _pon farr_, and told him of the woman whose face he couldn't see. He told him of the weeks of meditation to try and find her identity. Through it all, Auggie sat, and smoked, and listened.

"So, let me see if I have this right, Spock. You blacked out somewhere between getting out of this woman's bed and getting back into your own, and it took the previous three days with it? Have you tried any sort of meditation aids?" Auggie asked, sitting forward, both boots on the floor, face in hands and elbows on knees.

"I have used an _asenoi_," Spock replied. At the other man's confused look, he clarified, "A Vulcan meditation firepot."

Auggie stood up and got half a dozen jars from his backpack. "I'm going to mix you something that should help." He put some small, red dried chunks into a stone mortar and began crushing them with the pestle. After a few minutes, he added a two-and-a-half inch green disk to the bowl of the mortar. When he was satisfied with the consistency of the powder, he poured it into an empty jar. A large pinch of red flakes went into it next, then it was put into the mixture. Finally, he added a brown powder to the jar, sealed it, and shook it until they were mixed.

He handed the jar to Spock. "Mix this, all of it, with six ounces of very hot water. Let it steep while you get your meditation area set up, then drink the whole thing. Make sure you get every bit of it, don't leave any dregs in the bottom of the cup. This should help you to focus your meditation on your mystery woman"

"Thank you, Augustine," Spock said as he took the jar. He shook it a bit as he held it up to the light, trying to discern what the various components were.

"Call me Auggie. Augustine sounds like a monk, and I'm just about as far from it a minister can be," he reached out to shake the hand of the man who had nearly shattered his first wife. "And the potion is like a hot dog, you're much better off not knowing what's in it."

The next few days were hectic for Spock, as his father arrived with the Vulcan delegation. He was accompanied by T'Pau, T'Pring, a male Vulcan named Stonn, and much to everyone's surprise, Spock Prime. There was little time to speak to any of the delegates, though, as the negotiations had begun almost as soon as they had settled in. They seemed to be almost to a settlement when they finally took a full day's rest, one day before the costume party was to be held.

Dani was preparing for her release from confinement by getting her costume when her door chimed. "Enter," she called without looking up from the belt she was repairing. Seconds later, she mentally reminded herself to always check who it was BEFORE opening the door.

The concoction was sweet, spicy, and bitter all at the same time. He drank every last drop, and all the dregs, then sat down to meditate. There was a difference almost immediately. Mist swirled about his feet as he realized he was no longer sitting in his meditation nook. Three figures stood in the fog, a tall dark-haired woman stood on the left, a child in the center, and… It couldn't be, logically, but his mother stood on the right, dressed exactly the same as the day she and Vulcan died.

"Don't be alarmed, Spock," his mother said. "You are looking for help, and in this place betwixt and between, the three of us have come to aid you."

The child in the middle was a young girl with copper skin and straight black hair pulled into a pair of braids behind pointed ears. "It's true, _sa-mekh_ [father, Vulcan], we are here to help you find _u-tsi_ [ (my) mother, Cherokee]." She swung Amanda's hand, "Grammy is going to show you the recent past and the present. _A-li-si_ [maternal grandmother, Cherokee] will show you the far past of your interaction with _u-tsi_," she began to swing the other woman's hand, "and I get to show you some of the future. I am not allowed to show you all of it. It's not completely written yet."

"I will be taking you on the first leg of your journey, beloved of my daughter. I am called Meliora," the tall woman on the left said. She knelt to embrace the child. "Do not worry, _v-gi-li-si_ [my daughter's child, Cherokee, pronounced uh-gee-lee-see], I will take good care of your father." Then she reached and took Spock's hand.

"We will see you shortly, Spock," his mother said as she and the child faded.

When the mists cleared, the two of them were standing on the grounds of the Starfleet Academy. There were thousands of people milling around in cadet-issue red uniforms. The two of them, Meliora and Spock, were ignored completely. "We are in memory, Spock, so we will not be seen, heard, or felt even if…" about that time, a young woman with light brown hair ran right through him, trying to catch up with a black-haired cadet in front of them.

"Hey, half-breed, wait up!" she yelled. Spock flinched almost undetectably at the insult, even as he realized that he vaguely recognized the voice. That woman was on the Enterprise, he was sure of it.

The black-haired cadet turned around, smiling as she kept walking backwards. This woman he recognized. It was Lieutenant Delavert! "Hurry your backside up, witch. I've got places to be, but I wanted to swing by and say hello to an old friend," she said, "and I won't have time to see him if I'm waiting for you. So move it or lose it, Tanya."

"That's Tanya Gillespie, another lieutenant in Engineering on the Enterprise," his guide said, pointing to the pale brunette. "She and my _tsi-la_ [flower, Cherokee] have been friends since they were both still in diapers."

"Fine, fine. Go chase your Hephaestus. I'll see you in Warp Dynamics," Tanya hollered as she waved Danica on.

Meliora led him by the hand to follow Lieutenant Delavert. They entered a building he recognized, where his office had been when he was teaching at the academy. In fact, they were going right to his office apparently. "This is the first time my little girl got her heart broken," she said, a slight chill in her voice for the first time.

Danica came to a screeching halt just around the corner from his office. Voices could be heard from around the corner. He stepped closer, until he was standing right next to her, and looked.

He saw himself in the doorway of his office, escorting Nyota out of it. She was still in her cadet-reds. She stopped just outside the office, turned and said, "Thank you, Professor." Then, she placed a hand on the back of his neck and guided his head down so that they could share a deep kiss.

Next to him, Danica held her breath. She turned back around the corner. Her eyes had started to tear up, but she didn't let any of them fall until she had gotten about one hundred feet down the hall. Then she slid to the floor, the tears beginning to fall, a fist to her mouth to stifle the sobs. He knelt next to her and wished he could interact with her. It was a foreign sensation, this deep level of empathy.

After a few minutes, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She got to her feet. Grabbing her PADD from the top of her book bag, she called Tanya and asked her to meet her in her quarters after class, and to please get the homework for her. Then she stopped at the on-campus grocery store and bought two boxes of dark auburn dye.

The mists blurred, and Meliora looked at him. "She was hiding to avoid being hurt. There were other times that the two of you were in close proximity, several over the course of her time at the academy. I do not have the time to show you more, it is time to show you to your mother, and then the child."

"You have called her child, and the child of your daughter, but you have not revealed her name. Why is that?" he asked her.

She laughed, a clear rich sound that was reflected in Dani's voice over a decade later. "Young Spock, think for a moment. My daughter has only been pregnant about a month, and is still waiting to see if you will claim the child or not. I haven't revealed the child's name because neither Danica nor you have given her a name. Once one of you have given her a name, it will be her name."

Next time: parts two and three of Spock's rather interesting meditation. Be sure to vote in the new poll in my profile. It directly influences an upcoming chapter, and will be up for exactly one week. And, of course,


	12. A Journey of the Mind, part 2

A Journey of the Mind, Part 2

DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Star Trek, but if they ever want to get rid of it, I'll be more than happy to take it.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!! Don't forget to vote in the Poll on my profile, I'm taking it down on Wednesday, so you need to hurry. :D And with that, on with the show!

Amanda and the girl stepped from the mists then, to join her son and Meliora. "We will show you one instance together. This little princess just couldn't wait to see you again, Spock. After that, I will show you the present, and then this lovely young lady will escort you to see what's yet to come."

The girl let go of her grandmother's hand to take Spock's instead. "Come on, _sa-mekh_ [father, Vulcan], there's a lot to see!" she said with the kind of joy that children always seem to have. The mists cleared around them to reveal the assembly hall at the academy. It had two stages, the large one in the main hall, and a second one at the back of the building. It was where the all-school choir, as well as several of the other performing arts clubs, held performances. He had been several times to see Nyota sing with the choir.

His daughter was practically dragging him into the building. "Is your mother performing here tonight, _ko-fu_ [daughter, Vulcan]?" he asked as he tried to keep up with the waist-high angel. The girl was practically running to the building, and only his larger stride kept him from having to run to keep up with her. Her enthusiasm was a very un-Vulcan trait, but refreshing nevertheless.

She didn't even look back. "Yes, _sa-mekh_, she is. We must hurry. Don't worry. Grammy and _A-li-si_ [maternal grandmother, Cherokee] will catch up."

His mother and Meliora were walking a little more slowly behind them. Both were chuckling at the sight of the tall half-Vulcan being led by his ebullient child, a heartwarming sight to them. They also agreed that if they weren't invisible to the cadets and staff around them, there would be people swearing that it was a sign of the apocalypse.

They entered the building, and went right through the throngs of people preparing various sets. It was a rare occurrence that there was a show on more than one of the stages, but this particular night there was to be one on each stage. As the girl paused to get her bearings, Spock noticed that the janitor was changing the interior sign announcing the shows. The choir's graduation performance was replacing a dance recital to celebrate a second-place award at the Terran Dance Finals.

He remembered being asked about it, by both Nyota and the director of the hall. Nyota had been in charge of scheduling as the president of the choir, and had asked him when would be best for him to be able to attend, then scheduled the concert around his grading schedule. The hall's director had cornered him, a few days later, to ask a question of both logic and ethics. The main stage was suddenly double-booked due to an error by his secretary, and he was faced with having to ask either the choir or the dancer to move to the much less-popular second stage. He cringed inwardly as he remembered telling the man that it would be more logical to have the single dancer to move to the smaller stage.

"_U-tsi_ [(my) mother, Cherokee] is back here," his daughter said as she tugged him from his memories toward the backstage area that both stages shared. She led the way through the sea of people who were setting up the stages.

"What the hell do you mean, the recital has been moved?" he heard Dani's voice through a door. "We've had the main stage booked for six months!"

He heard the director's voice through the door, too, "Well, Cadet Delavert, the choir's graduation performance was also booked for tonight due to a scheduling error. The board and I decided after careful consideration that it would be easier for the dance performance to be moved, since you are the only performer, as opposed to the hundreds of cadets in the choir. You can either take the second stage, or you can have the main stage a different night. I'm sorry." He didn't sound sorry to Spock, and apparently the women on the other side of the door agreed with him.

"Why wasn't any member of the dance committee alerted to this sooner?" he recognized Tanya's voice this time, sounding irate.

"There wasn't time. The choir had tentatively scheduled this concert at the beginning of the year with the expectation of having the main stage, but it was only finalized last week, when graduation was announced."

"And who did the scheduling for the choir?" Dani again, her voice containing icicles the same as it had when he asked about her belts.

"Their president handles the schedules. Now, will you be postponing or taking the second stage, ladies? It's getting late, and I need to let Boris know he needs to change the sign accordingly." The man sounded dismissive of their protests.

"I'll take the second stage. But I will also be filing a complaint with the board over this," came the icy reply from Dani.

"That is your right, cadet. I'll alert Boris to the change. I hope your performance is exemplary." The door opened to reveal the director, a short, unimpressive man. He took a communicator from his jacket pocket. "Boris, go ahead and rearrange the sign to show the dance recital on the second stage."

"Already done, sir, as you ordered."

"Good," he said, then disconnected.

Spock was being pulled forward by the little pixie he had helped to create. She pulled him directly through the door, where he saw Tanya trying to calm Danica down and fix her make-up. Dani was wearing a shimmery-white skirt with five-petal flowers delicately outlined in gold with solid gold centers and green vines gently weaving their way between. The belt was one that she still had hanging on the wall of her quarters, a delicate pattern of the same white flowers with gold coins hanging from the bottom. The top of the outfit was what held his eyes, though he did try to look away when he remembered who all was in the room with him. It was a brassiere with the cups made in the shape of those flowers yet again, the straps made to simulate the vines.

"That flower is the Neakita, the Cherokee rose. It is a symbol of the strength of the Cherokee, especially their women. I named her after it, and she wears it as a continual reminder that even though she was raised out among the larger world, she is still Cherokee. She does not hide the fact that she carries the traditions of two separate customs, but celebrates it openly," Meliora said from behind him.

Dani stood up then, and shook her hips slightly to make sure that the belt went back to where it belonged. "We need to alert the dance club that the performance got moved. DAMN IT!" she hit the wall with her closed fist. "I wish I could wring her scrawny little neck! She did this on purpose, I know it!"

Tanya looked at her while typing on her PADD. "I don't think that this one was done out of spite, half-breed, so much as it is just a matter of self-centeredness. She isn't exactly known to be the most altruistic woman."

"Professor Matheson was supposed to ask him to play for the performance. That rabbit did this on purpose!" Dani was showing the temper that allowed her to put Corporal Bennett into a vegetative state.

The child smothered giggles at that comment and covered her ears, but Spock was puzzled. Tanya seemed to share that puzzlement and voiced it. "Rabbit? That's the best insult you could come up with? I would have thought she was at least a bitch, maybe a psychotic ass-munching lesbian whore. But a rabbit?" Tanya made a face, "Why a rabbit?"

"Rabbit was the Cherokee equivalent of the Norse Loki, a trickster who was often wounded by his own tricks. It seems appropriate, don't you think?" Dani said, trying to get her earrings to hang right.

"On a completely different note…did you get your good luck charm yet?" Tanya asked, slightly teasing.

"Yeah, but it's lost some of its appeal, now that I know he probably doesn't know about them," Dani gestured to the vase on the vanity table. It held nine roses, three deep red, three lavender, and three bright orange. "It's the same arrangement every time. I looked it up, 9 roses mean eternal love; deep red means sincere love, respect, courage, and passion; lavender means love at first sight and enchantment; and orange means passionate desire, pure enthusiasm, and fascination [A/N: I just couldn't resist :)]. The first bouquet had _A Guide to Roses_ with it, and I looked it up."

They were interrupted by a knock at the door, and a man stuck his face in the room, "Two minutes, Dani. Second stage, although it would serve them right if you kicked the choir off the main stage. Director Dickerson told me just before he came to break the news to you. I had him do it, just in case you decided to shoot the messenger," he said with a grin.

"Thanks, Professor Matheson. It wouldn't do any good to hijack the stage, but thanks." Dani smiled. "They WAY outnumber me."

Spock barely managed to steal a peak at the card on the roses before being dragged from the room by the hand. It was signed with his and his father's name. Amanda spoke up from behind him, "Before the destruction of Vulcan, the flowers were always from all of us. Your father was following tradition by trying to ensure that either woman you were bonded to would accept you."

The child insisted on following her mother to the stage, and sitting right in front of where she would be dancing. She also insisted on using her father's lap as a chair at center stage. Dani closed her eyes, took a calming breath and let it out, then smiled. The first two beats of the music played as the curtain opened, making the curtain part of the show. Three songs in, Spock remembered some of what he was seeing. He looked back, between the fourth and fifth songs, to see himself standing, transfixed, just outside at the window.

After five separate songs, Dani took her bow to her spellbound audience. When she rose from her bow, the whole room was on there feet. When Spock looked back, he saw Nyota calling the past him away from the doorway to her performance that was about to start.

As Professor Matheson brought out a bouquet of bright red roses with baby's breath, the look on her face faltered a little around the eyes. Spock, sitting practically at her feet, knew that she had seen him at the back, and saw Nyota drawing him away. When he looked back, the mists were beginning to collect again, drawing in from the outside, and framing Dani before enveloping her as well.

A/N: Ok, the _A Guide to Roses_ book doesn't exist, but the information on the roses is real. It's from a website, http://www(dot)loveletterbox(dot)com/meaning_of_roses(dot)htm just switch (dot) for a dot. Just a nifty little thing I felt I needed to say. Don't forget to review, ya'll!


	13. A Journey of the Mind, part 3

A Journey of the Mind, Part 3

APOLOGY TO READERS: Apparently, when I posted this chapter the first time, the brackets for the intimate acts between consenting adults did not load. I'm reposting this corrected, and I wholeheartedly apologize to anyone who was offended by this.

DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Star Trek, but if they ever want to get rid of it, I'll be more than happy to take it.

Author's note: OK, this wasn't supposed to take this many chapters, but it mutated. Plus, there's been a lot of real life trying to bite me in the fat of the a$$, which makes it a lot harder to write, but anyway… This chapter does involve intimate acts between consenting adults, and it is bracketed off before and after for those who are squeamish. The vote on the content of this part of the flashback came in 3-to-1 in favor of "the full Monty" descriptions of what happened. I hope everyone is satisfied with how it was done, I was aiming for tasteful. Enjoy, and be sure to let me know what you think!

J.

Spock watched as the mist enveloped Danica. A small hand touched his face. "It's ok, _sa-mekh_ [father, Vulcan]. You'll see her again in a few minutes. The mists only took us again to let _A-li-si_ [maternal grandmother, Cherokee] and me play while Grammy shows you around the last few weeks, and the present." She kissed him on the cheek, then stood up and bounced over to Meliora. She was swept up into her grandmother's arms. "I'll see you soon, _sa-mekh_. I love you."

"I will see you soon, _ko-fu-kam_ [(ko-fu) daughter, (-kam) denotes affection parent to child, Vulcan]," he said as he rose from the floor. His mother was waiting for him, her hand extended. As soon as he took it, the mists began to swirl again.

When they parted, they were standing in Danica's quarters. It was the day that he had started _pon farr_, and he saw himself entering her quarters. He had used his security override to open her door's lock. He watched Dani come to the doorway of her room, a phaser in her hand. All things considered, it did seem logical for her to be armed when facing a possible assailant. She hid it against the voluminous black semi-sheer skirt she was wearing. The concern in her voice was obvious. He watched his other self meet her eyes, and then drag them down her body, almost as if he could see through the black sports bra and skirt. The golden coin belt held his gaze now as it had then. It was just…fascinating.

It was when his other self finally spoke, beginning the bonding ritual, that he realized that he was ogling her with his mother standing next to him. He felt the blood rush hotly to his face, causing a green blush that made his mother chuckle. "She is your _ko-kugalsu___[fiancée, Vulcan], son. As long as you care for more than just her body, there's nothing wrong with admiring her." She gestured to where the bedroom door had slid closed behind the couple. "That act is directly responsible for that darling little angel waiting in the mists. It's not as if you two were the first couple to ever make love, that's how most species reproduce. You're not even the first couple to make love simply for pleasure."

His face began to turn a shade that on a human would mean he was about to throw up. As it was, he was torn between embarrassment and nausea. "Mother, it is not logical for me to discuss such things with you. They are…private," the discomfort was plain on his face. Discussing his sex life with his deceased mother was right up there with starting an orgy on the bridge. He shuddered as that thought went through his mind.

"Sit down for a moment, and then I will leave so you can remember your intimate moments." She sat down on Dani's couch and gestured for him to sit next to her. He did, rather gingerly, partially distracted by the knowledge of what was going on in the next room.

"I owe you an apology, Spock," she raised a hand in the universal 'stop' gesture. "Your father was so insistent that you fit in well with Vulcan society that I thought…" Amanda gave a chuckle and wry smile. "I should have seen to it that you were comfortable with both cultures. I did try. That was why I sent you to my parents' home when you were nine. I hoped that you would make friends and want to go back every year. When your father told me that you had bonded to a human girl while you were there, I was happy."

"Then why didn't you send me back?"

"Your father objected. Tradition had already been broken by you bonding to Danica and T'Pring, but he insisted on honoring it with both girls. It meant that there could only be limited contact, while he sent gifts to both girls. I managed to convince him not to send the courting gifts in your name to Dani until she was in high school. I told him that the gifts would be misinterpreted, since very few cultures on Earth arrange their children's marriages."

He looked puzzled. "He sent gifts to both?"

"Yes. The custom is for the parents of the boy to the girl to convince her that it is logical to honor the bond instead of insisting on the challenge. He was trying to do what he thought was best for you, just like I was when I had you visiting your grandparents."

She patted his hand. "Your father meant well, Spock. He just was doing what he thought was best. He thought that you would have more opportunities available with a Vulcan upbringing. Please promise me that you won't hold it against him," she said, urgency playing in her voice.

"I promise, Mother," he said. "What sorts of gifts were sent to Danica?"

"There was a necklace with an infinity pendant, a pair of matching earrings, and bouquets of roses before each of her dance performances. Always signed with your name first, then his and mine until I died. You would have to ask her about other gifts." She stood up. "And now I'll leave you to your memories. When they are through, I will return to take you to the present." She kissed her son gently on the forehead, a gesture that he had missed from childhood, even though he would deny it. Then she walked to the door, and instead of it opening, the mists enveloped her and closed around her.

~~~ THIS IS THE NAUGHTY PART ~~~

The room had been silent until that point, but now he was able to hear movement from what he had to assume was the bedroom. He walked to the door, unsure how he would open it or…the image of the door seemed to dissolve and he found himself on the other side of it. On the other side, he saw himself and Dani entwined together on her bed, a tableau of passion and unity.

The only thing either of them was still wearing was the semi-sheer black practice skirt that was now bunched around her waist. He was propped on his elbows, slightly off of her. Her legs were twined around him like vines, and her hands were grasping at his arms so tightly that her nails left tiny half-moon indentions in his biceps.

Her breathing began to change as he moved faster against her. She started to gasp his name, and he leaned in, wrapping his arms around her tightly as he drank the sounds of her pleasure. It didn't take long for him to join her in ecstasy, and he gathered her limp form into his arms and he lay down beside her. As he pulled the sheet over them, he heard her whisper, "I love you, Spock. Please don't be a dream."

The scene seemed to move in fast forward, to the next morning. She woke before he did, a look of absolute joy on her face when she saw who was in her bed. The look of joy was replaced by a mischievous, sexy look as she pushed him onto his back and dragged the sheet away. He had damn near leapt out of the bed when she took him into her mouth, something no Vulcan woman would do and Nyota had also refused the one time he had mentioned it.

He could not bring himself to ask her to stop the exquisite torture, but did make a point of asking her why afterward. Her answer had not been what he was expecting. "The main reason is that pleasure should be a shared experience, and last night I couldn't have moved after everything if my life had depended on it. When I woke up and saw you there, saw that I hadn't dreamed it all, I wanted to give you at least part of that pleasure back. And, really," she blushed clear down to the tops of her breasts, "I wanted to see what you would taste like."

~~~ THIS IS THE END OF THE NAUGHTY PART ~~~

The scene fazed out of focus slightly, and images rushed by. He saw the two of them in almost every position conceivable. And between bouts of impassioned lovemaking, they talked, shared meals and showers, and he had learned about her dancing. He had asked about her coin belts, and she showed him what they were used for. He was riveted, then and now, by the gentle jingling that each movement of her hips created as she danced for him. She told him later that the belts on display on the wall were awards she had won from various competitions she had won since high school.

All too soon, the hazy images showed him slipping out of her bed while she slept. He dressed silently, pressed a kiss to her temple as she lay on her side, still dreaming of the last three days, and then he left her room like a thief in the night. He had intended to go and get his _ka'athyra_ [stringed instrument kind of like an electric harp or lute, Vulcan] to play for her when she woke up. However, he started stumbling after he left her quarters, as his mind started to go fuzzy. It was almost as if he was suddenly drunk. By the time he got to his own quarters, it was all he could do to make it to the bed before he passed out. When he awoke the next morning, _pon farr_ [mating time, Vulcan] had passed, and the memories of the last three days were lost to his subconscious.

And now its time, everyone, to hit that wonderful little review button and let me know what you think! Like it? Review! Hate it? Review and let me know how to improve it! Don't really care one way or another? Review and say hi!


	14. Chapter 14

If this story gets 10 reviews by Saturday 7/20/13, I will post an update on Monday. I want to see if anybody is even still interested in this story before I put words to screen. I have the idea bouncing around, and annonomus reviews are allowed, so if anybody decides to review once under their name and again anonomusly, *looks up at ceiling and whistles* I see nothing. Rock it out, folks!

MamaJ


	15. Chapter 15

Yay! I finally got my muse back, it only took 2 ½ years (and I know exactly how long, because I stopped about the time I had my youngest) I promised an update if I got ten reviews, and OMG you guys came through for me! Almost made this mama cry, but in a good way. I promise to try to keep updating as long as ya'll keep reviewing.

One little warning for this chapter, near the end there is a slightly graphic scene where Dani gets morning sickness and a dislocated knee. Take my word for it, it hurts like a sumbitch, and if you are easily squicked, might want to skip that couple of sentances. Don't ask how I know it hurts like a sumbitch, just assume that part might be slightly mary-sue-ish (yes, I've done that to myself, multiple times)

One last note and then I'll leave you to the update, _The Tale of Hephaestus and Charis_ is not a real myth, but a mishmash from my imagination of a little bit of information, a few actual myth facts, and some twisting in my mind. So, I guess I own that, but I own aboslutely nothing else.

Enjoy!

The Myth of Hephaestus and Charis

The mists parted again, and this time Spock found himself in a child's bedroom, his tiny daughter sitting in the bed with pajamas on and the blankets tucked around her. "Please read me a bedtime story, Sa-mekh, before you go back to U-tsi?" She held out a leather-bound book that said, in gold-leaf script, _The Tale of Hephaestus and Charis by T. Gillespie-Scott_. Spock took the book from her outstretched hands and opened it. He began to read the oddly familiar "myth."

"Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl named Aglaia. She lived in a small house by the shore on the island of Linmos, and every day she went outside to dance. One day, she went exploring along the shore, looking for shells to make into a necklace. She wandered along, humming a tune to herself, until she found a small grotto, nestled into the rock at the edge of the sea.

A small boy sat outside the grotto, also looking for shells. With no fear in her eyes, Aglaia walked over and gave her shells to him, offering to help him with his project. When she asked his name, he replied, "I am Daedalus."

"Hello, Daedalus, I am Aglaia. Shall we be friends?" And from that day on, for the entire summer season, Daedalus and Aglaia played together, finding shells that he turned into fabulous necklaces, bracelets, and anklets for her.

When the summer came to an end, Aglaia's family took her to a city far from the shore, and she was no longer allowed to play with her dear friend. Saddened by the loss, Daedalus, who was really the god Hephaestus as a child, created one last beautiful necklace of gold and seashells, with a large, square golden pendant. Inside the pendant, which would open only to his touch, he hid a sip of nectar and a bite of ambrosia, the two things that a mortal could eat that would turn them into one of the gods and goddesses of Olympus. The chain was such that once fastened to the neck of Aglaia it would never be able to come off. He placed the necklace into a box and hid it at the secret spot that he and Aglaia would meet.

A few days later, Hephaestus was summoned to Olympus to release his mother Hera from a cursed throne he had made. He bartered with Zeus and the other gods and was given permission to marry the most beautiful of the goddesses, Aphrodite. Rather than being pleased at having such a wonderful and talented husband, Aphrodite despised the fact that he was different from the other gods, and continued to meet with any god or man she chose.

Meanwhile, Aglaia found the beautiful necklace in the secret hiding place and put it on. There was a small flash of heat as the clasp melted into the chain. She vowed to never try to remove it.

Years passed, Aglaia continued to watch for Daedalus to return, hoping once they were grown that her dear friend would persuade her parents to allow them to marry. But Hephaestus did not return, as he had married Aphrodite, but he had constructed a magical mirror of gold that allowed him to watch his childhood friend. He began to fall in love with her, and tire of his wife's faithlessness.

Finally, he sought council with Zeus, and asked to be allowed to divorce his wife and marry instead a beautiful, faithful woman. Zeus and Hera finally agreed, and Hephaestus leaped into his chariot and raced back to the island of Linmos. There he found Aglaia dancing at the edge of the sea near the grotto where he had grown up. Around her neck was the beautiful necklace he had made for her.

Thundering up in his chariot, the god of the forge and craftsman swept the beautiful Aglaia into his arms and kissed her. He opened the pendant of the necklace, revealing to her the sip of nectar and bite of ambrosia that would make her one of the immortal goddesses. The two of them then went to Olympus in Hephaestus's flaming chariot, where he presented her to Zeus and Hera. Hera, mother of Hephaestus, renamed the bride Charis, goddess of dance and leader of the graces. They were then married in the presence of all the gods and goddesses of Olympus.

And they lived happily ever after."

Spock closed the book just in time to hear his daughter's soft snore, before his mother and Dani's came rushing in. They each grabbed a hand and pulled Spock from the room. Once the door closed, Melora said, "Hurry, there's not much time! You must wake from your meditation and go to Dani. She is ill from the pregnancy and needs help!" She hesitated a moment, then said, "Forgive me for this, beloved of my daughter." She then drew back her hand and slapped him across the face with a resounding 'CRACK.'

The next thing Spock knew, he was back in his meditation alcove in his quarters. The mug from the potion Auggie had given him was tipped over in the floor, and he smelled like three days worth of incense smoke. He hit his communicator, "Spock to Lt. Delavert." Silence. He didn't wait to try a second time, but took off running for her quarters.

Danica woke up feeling like her stomach was boiling. Fighting the reflex to gag, she tried to roll from the bed to her feet and failed, miserably. Her left knee buckled under her weight and went sideways, sending her crashing to the floor. Dance and stage training had, thankfully, given her the reflex to turn slightly and take the brunt of her fall on her hip, but that didn't help matters much. The pain overtook her, and nausea ate the vision from her eyes as she reached pitifully for the trash can by the bed.

Once the heaving stopped, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She looked down at her knee. The small bone of her kneecap had twisted around to the outside of her leg. More deep breaths, and she pressed her thumb against the swelling and pushed the bone back into place. Another wave of nausea washed over her, and left her heaving into the trash can again. She tried to get her legs under her to stand, and the pain ate her vision as she sat back down in a rather rumpled heap.

She was suddenly roasting. She laid her head against the cool tile of the floor, one arm around the rather smelly trash can, and let her eyes drop closed. She thought she heard someone calling for her, but it had to be her imagination. It almost sounded like Spock, but that had to be just a fever dream.

A few minutes later, she half-woke to hear her door chime, then open. Her eyes fluttered back closed just before Spock came running into the room. It took him all of ½ a second to take in the scene and he knelt to scoop her into his arms. She refused to let go of the trash can, and as sick as she looked, he was in no mood to argue. He took off for sick bay.

Ten reviews, and I'll try and have another update by the end of next week! Next chapter: Explanations on Both Sides.


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